Cricket: 2003 World Cup not at risk says UCBSA

Johannesburg: South African cricket authorities rejected in the strongest terms on Friday reports that the 2003 World Cup is in jeopardy after its controversial decision to remove referee Mike Denness from the third match between South Africa and India.

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"We have spoken to both International Cricket Council (ICC) president Malcolm Grey and ICC CEO Malcolm Speed and the World Cup is not in danger," Bronwyn Wilkinson, spokeswoman for the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) said.The UCBSA flouted ICC rules by removing Denness as match referee for the final Test of the Indian tour of South Africa to prevent it from unravelling.

The UCBSA replaced Denness as match referee with Denis Lindsay to appease the Indians, who said they would not play the final Test if Denness was not removed.Wilkinson said the South African players had been informed on Thursday night that the match was not an official Test and that they had accepted the decision.UCBSA chief executive officer Gerald Majola said on Thursday, however, that it would argue its case for the match to be recognised as a Test at the next ICC meeting.